


Lady in Waiting

by BluJae



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:00:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26707870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BluJae/pseuds/BluJae
Summary: Lady remembered little of her mother. The scent may be, and warmth. There was a course tongue against her head and warm milk in her belly. She remembers Sansa more. The soft arms that cradled her, the scent of lemon on her breath, and lavender on her clothes. The feel of the brush on her fur and the sound of laughter. She loved her girl more than anything
Relationships: Jon Snow/Sansa Stark
Comments: 22
Kudos: 246





	Lady in Waiting

**Author's Note:**

> A little one-shot. Hopefully, I haven't screwed up the tenses too much though something doesn't feel quite right. 
> 
> Don't own, no beta.

Lady remembered little of her mother. The scent maybe, and warmth. There was a course tongue against her head and warm milk in her belly. She remembers Sansa more. The soft arms that cradled her, the scent of lemon on her breath, and lavender on her clothes. The feel of the brush on her fur and the sound of laughter. She loved her girl more than anything. More than her sister and her brothers. They were connected in a way that transcended everything.

She knew her siblings felt the same about their people too. They mirrored each other and felt what the other felt. Soon the dreams would come and the feelings of closeness in their minds. Ghost despite being the runt had been the first to be born. He was constantly moving away from the group eager to see the outside world. Quiet and stealthy, Lady always felt safer around her brother.

Grey Wind was more aloof following his boy with dogged determination and sometimes ignoring the rest of them. Eager to please but tempered with an anger Lady knew not why.

Nymeria had been the youngest and the fastest. She and Shaggy were constantly fighting for scraps or attention. Her sister was a fighter for sure just like her girl. Shaggy scared her sometimes. There was a darkness in him that matched his fur and sometimes Lady wondered how far he would go. Wild dire wolves were one thing, feral ones were another.

Summer was quiet just like Lady and Ghost. He spent much of his time with the boy after he fell, and they rarely saw him after.

When they left Lady and Nymeria howled for their brothers feeling their connection start to strain. It became a distant echo in their minds but at least it stayed true. They could feel them even as they traveled further and further away.

It happened quite suddenly. One-minute Lady was casually licking a bone one of the soldiers gave her when she felt confusion and fear race through the connection with Nymeria. Sadness too. Lady forgot about the bone and trotted to the water's edge looking into the woods beyond. Suddenly someone grabbed her by the scruff, and she let out a yelp at the suddenness of it all.

A leash was tied around her, and she glanced up to see a soldier telling her to stay. She sat and tried once again to reach out to her sister.

Night fell and with it fear and overwhelming grief and anger. Not from Nym but from her girl. Something was wrong. Very wrong. Their connection had been steadily growing even faster now the connection to her siblings had been stretched. She searched her girl's mind and knew the fear and sadness was for her.

Something was going to happen. To her. And it broke her girls' heart.

Lady knew it was wrong, but she started to chew through the rope, gnawing anxiously. If she could she would save herself to save her girl from heartbreak. She pulled on it until it snapped and then she skittered into the pathway.

Up ahead she saw Sansa’s father. He looked grim and upset and he froze when he saw her. Lady saw hope and fear equally in his eyes. He took a step forward and she knew if she did not take this opportunity, she would not last the night. She turned tail and ran.

The cries of Sansa’s father followed her for only a little while until it was replaced with the sounds of the woods. She searched for her sister and ran towards her until crippling agony rippled through her. She tripped over her paws and crashed into the dirt with a startled yelp.

Sansa. Her girl. Agony, Pain. Heartache. She tried to reach out to soothe her, but she was too lost in her emotions. Lady writhed on the ground whimpering with the pain of it all and in the end, she did what she had to.

She silenced the connection.

It felt odd. Sansa had been growing increasingly apart of Lady's intrinsic being. Now silenced there was a numb part of her that seemed heavy. Nym found her, licking her snout, and pressing her to get up. She slowly got to her feet, feeling wrong but knowing she could not be weak in this moment.

The next few days were difficult until both had managed to catch a small rabbit. After that their hunting improved. Lady's belly was full but her mind was not at ease. Nym was growing increasingly wilder. She seemed to forget all about her girl reveling in her newfound freedom. She made Lady feel unsafe.

Lady knew she had to go home. She had to get to Ghost. South was where her girl was but Lady knew it was not safe. Only North. Only Ghost would keep her safe. Slowly she distanced herself from Nym. Nym didn’t seem to care which hurt Lady a bit but her mind was set North and that was where she would go.

Weeks and weeks passed, and she finally made it to the Wolfswood. The connection was stronger here now she was close, but she didn’t feel Ghost. Grey Wind gave her direction and she left again.

Finding a way past the ice wall had been difficult. The old forgotten castles were dangerous but full of good-sized rats. She satisfied herself with them as she searched until she found a way through.

Ghost met her on the other side. He had grown large, larger than her and even Grey Wind. He nuzzled her and calmly waited until she finished yipping in excitement and licking his muzzle. He turned and she followed feeling safer already. He would show her the way and would keep her safe.

Months they spent in the wilderness. Ghost taught her how to hunt properly, taking deer down with ease. He taught her to stay away from dead places and places that were too dangerous even for him. Together they would curl into each other at night keeping the cold out and reaffirming their connection. Here they would both reach out to their people, trying to soothe themselves with their links.

Silencing the connection had weakened it but Lady still felt her. Muted and far away only the strongest emotions came through and now they were sadness, hopelessness, and fear. She did not know what had happened, but it was not good. She would howl sometimes to help balance the shock of some of her emotions that were not her own.

The night Grey Winds connection broke had been clear and beautiful up in the North. There was a spike of anger and then pain and then a severance of a cord that had been connected since their birth. Ghost had been frantic, pawing at his muzzle as if to rip the pain from his mind. Lady just laid down her head on her paws and whimpered sadly.

When Ghost returned to Jon Lady would stay in the shadows. Ghost had shown her a tunnel that they crawled through to get to the other side of the wall and into the woods. She would stay there safe from the dead things at least while Ghost looked after his boy.

Occasionally he would slip away and together they would hunt and feast on the dwindling beasts available to them. There were still plenty of rabbits and rats though when they could not find a deer to satisfy their hunger.

Fear woke her. Ghost was frantic, fearful even which was enough to push Lady into motion. She shook off the light dusting of snow that had fallen on her while she slept and ran for the castle. It had been easy to slip in and find her brother trapped in a room. She could smell the blood, could feel something unhinge in Ghost's mind. She sat on her haunches, tipped her head back, and howled low and deep. Ghost copied her silently his pain echoing through their bond. His boy had died, and Lady felt it deep within her.

A man came, all in black, and released Ghost from his prison. He shrieked when Lady revealed herself and stalked slowly past him her lips curling with a snarl. The man held his hands up as Ghost turned back licked her mouth and together, they made their way to the room where Ghosts boy lay.

She smelled the blood before she saw him and made her way to him under the eyes of the men in the room. They made her nervous having been so distant from them, but she trusted Ghost. She sniffed the hand that lay on the table knowing the boys' scent anywhere before licking it trying to warm him even though she knew it was futile. She whimpered the entire time. She knew he would not move. That Ghosts boy had died.

“Where’d she come from?”

“Dunno, was there when I released Ghost. Maybe his girlfriend?”

“Wolves don’t have girlfriends, you idiot.”

“Does it matter? As long as she doesn't rip our throats out, she can stay.”

Lady curled up near the fire while Ghost took his position near his boy. She ignored the men who spoke of things she cared not. There was anger and sadness in their voices, but Lady had had enough of it. She was here for Ghost and that was all.

When the witch came in Lady pricked her head up and watched as she washed down Ghosts boy. She cut his hair and his beard throwing the remnants into a fire and chanting words unknown to her. There seemed to be suspense in the room as if they were waiting for something and when it did not the disappointment was almost too much. They left the room and Lady put her head back on her paws.

Then Ghost lifted his head, his eyes on the table where Jon lay. There was an intense silence that filled the room and then gasping breaths could be heard. Lady watched as the man who smelt like the sea stood at the door in shock. Jon slowly sat up his breath coming in sharp breaths, but Lady is focused on her brother and the connection rebuilding within him. It's strong now between them even stronger than before.

More words that Lady could not be bothered with as the witch came and went and the salt man talked until he left. Lady yawned drawing the boy's attention. His eyes widened at her sprawled out in front of the fireplace.

“Lady?” Jon croaked.

Her tail wagged at his acknowledgment and she stood up and walked over to him. He grabbed a fistful of her fur gently, and she realized this is the first time in a long time someone had touched her. She leaned into him wishing it was her girl but happy for Ghost.

The days bleed and Lady stayed at Jons' side. The wildings have more respect and fear for him as do the men in black. The man that died and brought a direwolf back with him they whisper. Together with Ghost they make a formidable trio.

When Jon retired after killing the men who hurt him Lady hopped up on the bad and allowed him to cry into her fur. Ghost silently licked away the tears that fell down his face and all three disappeared into their dreams comforted that at least they are together.

Lady had always been the most caring of her siblings. Not that they did not love their people it was that they didn’t understand them sometimes. Truthfully, Lady did not either but that never stopped her from trying to help them. She woke Jon from his nightmares, giving her weight and warmth to comfort him against the horrors that plagued his mind. She would nose his bowl of food to him ignoring the roll of his eyes and would not leave till he finished his food. One day she fetched his gloves, dropping them into his laps as he finished with his boots. He picked them up lost in a memory.

“Arya tried to get Nymeria to do that.”

Lady huffed because of course, Arya would have tried. Nym would have only done it when she decided to do it. She wondered at how Nym was but knew that her wildness had strained the link too much. Lady hoped she was at least content where she was.

Both Ghost and she felt when Shaggy's connection broke and sought solace in each other for days after. Jon looked at them in confusion but did not speak on it.

One morning Jon opened the door and revealed a woman behind him. Lady felt a twinge of something in her mind. The shivering mess of a girl allowed her to be guided to the bed before Jon wrapped her up in his blankets. Lady watched, seeing and feeling something familiar and she could barely allow herself to hope. Older, broken and in pain but Lady knew who it was. She stood slowly hoping not to scare her and padded over to her. Jon smiled before he sat next to Sansa as Lady put her head into her lap. Sansa gasped before she stared at her in confusion.

“Lady?” Her girl whispered. “Lady?”

“Aye, it's her. Was here when...well she's been here for a little while. Ghost must have found her.”

Sansa shook her head as tears welled in her eyes. Lady whined and shifted her head closer. Slowly delicate hands rested on her head and Lady leaned into them feeling their link start to thaw. Sansa glanced up at Jon in awe. “But she died.”

Ghosts boy frowned at her words. “What?”

“Robert had father kill her. Father brought me her pelt.”

Silence filled the small room and only the occasional crackle of the fire pierced it. Jon caressed Lady's head softly before turning to her girl. “Did you look at its Sansa? Truly look at it. It could have been a wolf father brought to you.”

“I was distraught. I didn’t want to see,” she mumbled before moving to sit on the floor. Lady towered over her, but her girl didn’t look worried. “Oh, Lady is it truly you?”

Lady wagged her tail and stepped into the girl's arms. She didn’t smell like lemons or lavender anymore, but her arms felt soft and familiar and Lady allowed their link to fully open. Sansa gasped and buried her head into Lady’s fur. Sobs wracked her body and Lady could barely stand with the influx of emotions. Pain and fear and loss dominated it but then hope and love start to bloom.

Lady refused to leave her girl's side and Sansa was always touching her in some manner. After bathing and eating herself, Sansa found a brush and tried to work through her fur. She tsked at the burrs and tangles and crooned at her scars. Her fingers linger at a particularly long one on her side that a boar gave her a long time ago.

“It seems we have both seen some awful times,” Sansa whispered, and Lady nudged her in agreement. “But we both survived. We survived Lady.”

There is a strength in Sansa that had not been when she was a little girl. A darkness too but Lady understands. There is a darkness in Lady as well after another link is severed though this time Summers. Violent awful deaths her brothers had that weigh on both Lady and Ghost. They are both eager to have revenge.

They get it.

They get it when they move South back to a home that is not theirs anymore. A battle occurs that is bloody and brutal. Men die under Lady’s large jaws and teeth. They scream at the sight of her and wet themselves when she runs them down. Once upon a time she was the softest wolf now she is death. Lady returned to Sansa covered in blood and gore, but Sansa smiled at her proudly and together they find their way home.

Lady ripped out the jaw of the man who hurt her girl. She takes his fingers, his ears, his manhood. Her girl was watching in the darkness and Lady knew she has done good in making him suffer. The dogs that had been his would have been brutal but too quick for the likes of him.

When Lady finished Sansa opened the door and told her she was a good girl and Lady wagged her tail in happiness.

Ghosts boy leaves. She does not understand why but he tells Ghost and Lady to protect Sansa while he's gone. She snarled consistently at the one Sansa called Baelish. She was eager to rip his throat out but Sansa stays her hand so Lady must wait. Her girl is smart, she will know when the time is right.

Summers’ boy returns. Still broken and different. He gives her a small smile after she is done sniffing him. “Hello, Lady. I’m glad you ran.”

Nyms girl returns as well. Not wild anymore but reserved and watchful. There is a danger within her that Lady does not understand. She is more wolf then ever which is both a comfort and unsettling. Sansa feels it too.

Baelish dies. Lady is upset that she was not the one to deliver his death to him but is glad a wolf did, nonetheless. Her girl and her siblings seem closer than ever and this makes them miss Jon even more. The ever-present link between Jon and Ghost is the only comfort they have.

Jon returns but Ghost is not as eager to greet him as Lady is. Jon chuckled as Lady jumped upon him, licking his face in happiness before allowing him to push her off.

“I want both of you to meet Daenerys.”

They both move back at the approach of the small woman. There is something unsettling about her and when Ghost lifts his lips in his silent snarl Lady copied. The woman stepped back in fear and questions Jon.

“They’re of the North,” he muttered sheepishly. “They don’t like outsiders.”

There are new scents and new people in Winterfell. Most avoid the two Direwolves but a few try to get close. Lady allows the bear girl to pat her and a few of the people Jon brought from the North with him but no others. The fear and urgency in the air is thick and Lady and Ghost stick by Sansa and Arya more. Jon spent most of his time with the woman who smells like ash and both direwolves do not like her. Arya and Sansa mirror their feelings and steer clear from her too.

The dragons do not scare Lady nor Ghost. They do not scare Sansa or Bran or Arya. They are wolves of the North and do not scare easily.

When the dead come Lady is with her brother. She is torn between Sansa and him but in the end, she goes with Ghost. They are deadly together and rip a way through the hoards and protect each other fiercely.

After, her girl was once again filled with sorrow at all the death that had been wrought. Many had died in defense of the North, but many had also lived. Grief gives way to relief if only for one night.

Lady goes with Jon and Ghost stayed with Sansa. Her girl implored her to look after Jon and Lady knew it is because he is more than a brother. All the pups knew Jon was not a sibling from early on. He smelled different enough to show a blood relation but he was pack and so they all accepted him without a thought.

They traveled South and on the banks of the river where she made her dash to freedom Lady sights her sister. She is as large as she is and there is a feral look in her eyes. They observe each other for a minute before Lady turns and makes her way for Jons tent. She has taken to sleeping next to his cot and he has taken to patting her till she falls into sleep.

He talked too. Softly, quietly as if there are ears everywhere but Lady knew when there are others about, and she would silence him quickly with a snuff against his hand. He seemed to understand. He also seemed to know when Sansa was with them. Their connection was strong now and the wolf dreams happen often. Jon called her ‘my lady’ when Sansa shared their space. He tells her he loves her and will return, and he is sorry.

He does not say those things when it is just her.

The battle is barely a battle, but the horror consumed Jon regardless. When the dust settled Lady knew what she had to do. She scents out a hidden path to the open room where the ash woman stands. She waited in the shadows as Jon fights with words until he clasped the woman in his grasp. The woman stared up at him adoringly as if she had not used her dragon to kill innocent people.

Lady felt when Sansa entered her mind, she watched as Jon's gaze settled on the wolf behind the throne, and knows the words he is going to say.

“My Lady.”

In the reflection of Jons eyes, Lady can see the Ash woman's confusion before her jaws sink into the soft skin of her neck. Warm blood pooled in her mouth, the sweet coppery taste imprinting itself on her tongue. She’s sure Sansa can taste it too despite being far away. The Ash woman died quickly without knowing and little pain. It is a courtesy Sansa offered to the woman for whatever reason.

“Leave quickly sweet one.”

She could feel Sansa hesitate for a moment and then to her horror clamped down on Jon's arm. Blood pooled in her mouth once more as her jaw pulled at the muscle. He roared in pain before it died into a strangled yelp, and she whimpered when Sansa released him seemingly pleased with her work, but Lady is confused, her ears go down and her tail tucked. He holds his bleeding arm and stared at her in shock and pain before he shook his head with a chuckle.

“I suppose I deserved that.”

Lady does not understand and doesn’t care to. He seemed almost happy with his wound for some reason, smearing the blood across his chest and making it seem worse. She gave him one last lick before she leaves. She raced out of the castle knowing men will search for her with anger on their tongues and fury in their swords. She ran North, ever North until she returned and launched herself into the comforting arms of her girl. Jon returned months later, praising her for her cleverness and swept a laughing Sansa up into his arms. Lady and Ghost both yip at their feet as they kiss.

When Lady hears rumors that the ash woman was killed by a rabid dog she is insulted and annoyed. Sansa tried to cool her ire as best as she could while Ghost huffed in annoyance to her anger. It is Jon who carded his hands through her fur and explained that the rumor was needed to protect them all. Lady huffed before licking at the wound she gave, the scars raised and messy.

“You did good Lady.”

The days roll on and Winterfell begins to feel like it did when they had just been pups. Even more so when the pack expands, and Lady and Ghost now watch over children not their own. A small girl with Jons dark messy curls, sea blue eyes and a secret smile and a fire-haired, steel-gray eyes boy who smelled like apples. The boy is just learning to walk and to Sansas’ annoyance constantly uses Lady to balance himself.

The nights are the best though. When the children are tucked up asleep and Jon and Sansa sit by the fire talking quietly. Ghost and Lady lay at their feet quietly enjoying the peace. Sometimes Jon massages her with his feet and other times Sansa brushes out her fur. When they retire Sansa kisses her nose and Jon scratches behind her ears.

They had lost and fought and suffered. But they had won and found peace too. Their pack might have diminished but it had survived. They were the Wolves of Winterfell and the snows fell and the wind blew, and they remained.

Fin


End file.
